


I Traveled Space for Much Too Long

by Calieus



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Coldflash Mini Bang 2020, DC Comics References, Domestic Fluff, Flashpoint - Freeform, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Memory Loss, kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:41:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27792454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Calieus/pseuds/Calieus
Summary: As soon as the first memory faded away Barry knew that something was wrong. At first, he ignored it and let the memories fade away one by one, perfectly content with it if he could continue to spend his days with Len. That is until he reached the sixth month and he could no longer ignore it.
Relationships: Barry Allen/Leonard Snart
Comments: 4
Kudos: 27
Collections: Coldflash Bang 2020





	I Traveled Space for Much Too Long

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Coldflash mini-bang. It was interesting writing this. Title taken from Space Travel by Yellowcard.

_“You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into Flash,” Eobard said. He’s sitting on the floor of his tiny cage that Barry put him in looking bored._

_“Shut up Eobard,” Barry said. “I know what exactly I’m getting myself into.”_

_“Oh? Well then don’t come crying to me when something goes bad.”_

_The truth is Barry didn’t know what he was doing. He saved his mom that he knew, but what it entailed was something he couldn’t ever imagine._

* * *

Barry entered Jitters and looked around every table was taken save for one in the corner in the café. Two people were sitting there, Leonard and Lisa. Both were dressed in normal clothes and looking not at all like criminal overlords. However, they both could still be ones in this timeline. Barry looked around one more time, seeing if there was a possibility that he wouldn’t have to sit with them. There wasn’t any choice. He gulped and walked over to the table with a bit of caution.

“Is this spot taken?” he asked. Lisa is the one to look up at him, she eyed him with a curious gaze.

“No,” she said. “You can sit with us. You’re cute enough to not cause any annoyance.”

“Lisa…”

“Don’t be a pooper Len, look at him.”

Len looked up at Barry and he felt his heart flutter.

* * *

_“Enjoying your perfect little world Flash?” Eobard asked._

_“It would be better without you in it,” Barry replied. “But yes, everything is going great.” Eobard shook his head and slumped against his cell._

_“Well I hope you continue to have fun then,” the flat response isn’t alarming._

* * *

The first date that Barry and Leonard went on was dinner at _Realign Vox_ , a somewhat lavish restaurant that opened recently.

“This restaurant is…a bit odd,” Barry said. “Who has a menu item called Blood Bagel?”

“That’s not as strange as it sounds. It’s a bagel covered in strawberry jam.”

“I can see that, but the name doesn’t make it sound appealing.”

Barry rolled his eyes and looked around the restaurant. One wall was a big mural with an abstract city surrounded by pink clouds. It was pretty Barry could admit that. The whole restaurant itself was decorated in pinks, purples, and blues.

“Okay, so I think I’ll get the shrimp lemon pasta,” Len said.

“I’ll take the Blood Bagel.”

* * *

_“You know something Flash? Being locked up is boring.”_

_“Well to bad because I’m not letting you out.”_

_“I didn’t expect you to let me out,” Eobard said. “Was only commenting on the situation.”_

_“Whatever.”_

_“So, tell me…Barry,” Eobard said. “Have you noticed anything yet?” Barry looked at Eobard in confusion._

_“Noticed what? Nothing’s changed.”_

_Eobard laughed and it sounded almost like pity._

* * *

The first memory to vanish was when Barry’s mom died.

Barry was in the CCPD office finishing up some details on a new case, the disappearance of a guy named Michael Carter. The details said that he was last seen at a hotel before he up and vanished. Barry entered a detail about the room where Michael was staying at when a blast of pain hit him in the head. He screamed and gripped his head as the pain throbbed like a heartbeat. The memory of his mom dying flashed before him, a scene that he’s become all to familiar with. It stopped just as Barry was taken far away down the street. Then the memory shattered.

The throbbing in Barry’s head stopped, but he doesn’t take his hands off his head. He feels like he’s forgotten something important.

* * *

_“What did you do Eobard?” Barry asked._

_“Why must you always accuse me of everything that goes wrong?”_

_“You did something!” Barry shouted. “I…I don’t know what you did, but I have a gap in my memory. That I’m sure you caused.”_

_“Barry…” Eobard said. “I’m locked in a cage that you put me in. There is no way that I am getting out of here anytime soon.”_

_“No, you did something!”_

_“Stop shouting. If I did something, then you would know right away trust me.”_

_“…Fine. Then what the hell is going on?”_

_“That my dear Barry, is something you’ll have to figure out.”_

* * *

Barry and Len laugh at yet another dumb scene in the movie they’re watching, _The Giant Spider Invasion_. It was Len’s turn to pick a movie which happened to be one from his bad movie collection. Why he has a collection of awful movies Barry has no idea, but he loves it anyway. They’re both laying Barry’s couch with Len on top of Barry. 

“How do you find these movies?” Barry asked.

“From places like gas stations and dollar stores.”

“Of course, you did.”

Another scene involving the spider destroying something plays out and Barry laughed at the sheer ridiculousness of it. This will be a movie he won’t forget.

* * *

Next memory to go is of Barry seeing his dad die.

Barry wasn’t doing anything special again when this happened. He was out for a run and had taken a break on a bench. The sun was setting casting reds and oranges among the clouds in the sky. When the pain hit him like a truck. As with the last memory it played out the same before freezing right as Barry was saying his final words to his dad, before shattering.

“Dammit!” Barry cursed. “I…what was that?”

If Barry could remember what that was, he wouldn’t be here trying to recall the memory. He knows it was an important one, but of what importance he doesn’t know anymore.

The memories continued to vanish. From Barry’s childhood and all the way up till adulthood. When they occur is random and each time they always hurt. For a while Barry ignored them, as he figured it wasn’t to bad to lose a few memories here and there. That is until more started to vanish and left even bigger gapes in his memory. He didn’t tell Len any of this, Barry didn’t want him to worry, and it’s his problem to deal with after all not Len’s.

* * *

_“So…did you figure it out yet?” Eobard asked._

_“My memory it’s…vanishing.”_

_“Bravo Barry! You figured it out! Only took you what, six months?”_

_“Is there anyway, to fix this?_

_“Of course, you’d ask that,” Eobard said. “No, the memory loss stays. The timeline is settling in and once it does this world will become your new reality.”_

_Barry stood there in shock. Eobard isn’t bullshitting him he’s sure of that. He’s familiar with time settling in, but he didn’t know that after a certain point it would cause him to forget everything he’s ever known before._

_“…I…what should I do…”_

_“If you want your memories back then you go back to how this all started.”_

* * *

Barry stood at the stove of his and Len’s shared apartment dressed in a Green Lantern shirt and Flash boxers cooking breakfast. His own specialty of honey pancakes that Len loved so much. He had told Barry that they could kill a man from how sugary they were, but it would be a sweet death. Barry smiled at remembering that while he flipped a pancake over. Len always told him how much he loved Barry’s cooking since he himself wasn’t that great of a cook. Barry placed the pancake onto a plate next to one filled with at least thirty. He grabbed the plates and danced over to the kitchen table.

“Len, breakfasts ready!” shouted Barry.

“Be there in a minute!”

With the plates placed next to each-other Barry grabbed the bottle of syrup and poured a mountain of sugary death onto the pancakes. Under normal circumstances that amount would put someone into a sugar coma but having speed powers is handy for bypassing such limits. Barry sat down and bit into one of the pancakes just as Len entered the room. He was dressed in a Booster Gold Fanclub t-shirt and wearing blue shorts. In the original timeline Barry would’ve never expected Len to wear a shirt like that it wasn’t cool at all, but in this one he does and that makes it even more special.

“How do you not die from eating all that sugar?” Len asked as he took his place.

“Increased metabolism is a wonderful thing.”

“Remind me to get some speed powers one day then.”

They eat in silence like they always do. At first it used to bug Barry that they never talked during meals, but he got used to it after a while. Not that Len isn’t talkative he can talk for hours if you let him. Barry never pressed him for an answer as he figured it wasn’t that important. The silence stretches on until Len gets up out of his seat.

“That was delicious as always,” said Len. “Should keep me alive for work today.”

“Coffee is what keeps you alive, not pancakes.”

Len laughed and motioned for Barry to come over. Barry got up out of his seat and stood by him. Len leaned over and kissed Barry on the cheek.

“The pancakes are better than coffee.”

Barry rolled his eyes as Len exited the kitchen to finish getting ready for work. He stood there and sighed. Barry doesn’t want to leave this all behind. While he could let this timeline play out and continue with having a wonderful life, having his memories erased isn’t what he signed up for in the end. He’s going to miss Len.

* * *

“Will I at least get to keep the memories I made here?” Barry asked.

“No,” Eobard said. “You’ll eventually forget everything you ever did here.” Barry should’ve figured that. Lose memories of the last timeline and remember the current one as soon as time settles itself. 

“I’d be better off staying in this timeline then.”

“You still can,” Eobard said. “Just let me out first though before you run off.”

“That won’t happen,” Barry said. “Who knows what chaos you’d cause if I did that.”

“Fair.” Barry walked up to Eobard’s prison and poised his hand over the lock. He should just leave him in here and forget he ever existed. That would be a perfect life wouldn’t it?

“Don’t do anything stupid,” Barry said. “Let’s just fix this and get it over with.”

“Whatever you say.”

Eobard was let out and they both stood side by side before running off.

* * *

Barry sat on the couch of his house with Len right by his side. The window behind them shows the world moving fast.

“So, this is it,” Len said. “After this, things will go back to how it was before, and you’ll forget our time together.”

“…Len…”

“Seems fitting for someone like me to be forgotten,” he said. “Don’t miss me too much.”

“I can’t ever forget meeting like you Len.”

“Then, do me a favor,” Len said. “Don’t forget.”

* * *

Barry stood where this all started, back on the porch of the West’s house. The sun sets just like it did before he decided to run off. Memories of his time in Flashpoint go by and he smiles a sad smile. He’ll have to treasure those memories while he still can. Barry reached out his hand and opened the door.

**Author's Note:**

> You can instantly tell what I'm listening to while writing based off what music references I put in here. In this case I put some Red Vox reference's.


End file.
